I got to play chess with my 12-year-old nibling last night. We played 3 rounds. I won the first two, they won the third.

In good news, I had this amazing dream last night about a research settlement on a previously unknown satellite orbiting Earth. Like a much smaller second Moon, that sort of thing. It was pretty damn cool.

Still recovering from jet lag. I plan to sleep a TON over the next couple of days.

After that, time to pull on some FUCK FASCISM panties & get to work getting through the coming months & years.

Just got back from a trip to the UK. I voted before I left - blue all the way down.

Didn't quite expect the election result we got - I was hopeful for a while - but, not surprised, and... either way, here we are.

Well, shit.

Unrelated, I'm doing OK after the diverticulosis episode/flare/thingy. Bloodwork in progress & I have a CT scheduled for next week, iirc. Also got a short run of meds to help w/spasms, & a plan for adjusting my diet.

There's probably a joke in there somewhere.

I'm supposed to be shredding old bills and documents right now. I am, instead, not.

How on earth did I not know that there are So. Many. KNOBS??

Welp, today I got up & started making a list of the stuff I need/want to do today. I got sidetracked while shopping for household supplies & now I've gone down a rabbit hole of colorful ceramic kitchen knobs & what I could do with them to dress up my house.

This is ADHD, or so I'm told.

Given the shit I've been dealing with the past few months, I'mma guess it was from stress. & guess I have a new diagnosis now, fun times.

Turns out the human body is really great at putting you on the floor if your brain thinks it needs to be there, LOL.

Freaked my poor dad out. I'm OK tho, got a telehealth appt & guts are settling out fine.

It caused a vasovagal response and I blacked out & crashed onto the floor trying to make my way out of the bathroom. No WAY I was gonna pull an Elvis and be caught dead on the loo.

Welp, had my first attack of diverticulosis Sunday/Monday night, at my dad's house. That was fun.

It's like I'm really just getting to know my dad now, at the end of his life.

& it's weird: I don't actually feel like I've missed anything, because I feel like he's had *a whole life* he can now tell me about.

I feel like access to him came through her: what we knew about him was always filtered through mom's impressions, info about him mostly came from her... it was always a treat to learn about dad's life from someone else. Like his parents.

It's really hard knowing just how big a wall my mom was between dad and his kids.

It was hard, & still is, & it's OK too. I've gotten more time 1:1 with my dad in the past couple of months than I think I had for years.

Not done, either: I'll prob'ly be visiting him at least weekly for a while to make sure he's doing OK, help him with house cleanup & projects, & just get time with the old man anyway.

Welp, been back home for a few days, after having taken care of my dad for what feels like forever but was really only a couple of months.

The lies, misinformation, twisting & turning & deliberate, willful ignorance about the consequences of & responsibility for anti-abortion laws from the crowd that hollers CONSEQUENCES & RESPONSIBILITY at every turn is fucking appalling. I absolutely loathe these fucking people.